Separator for the electrodes of electrolytic cells



April 17, 192s.

` J. L. WOODBRIDGE SEPARATOR FOR THE ELECTRODES OF ELECTROLYTIC CELLS Filed July 12. 1927 Patented Apr. 17, 19.28.

Josnrn LnsrnaWoonBaInGE, vor

PHILADELPHIA. PENNSLVAINA.

p 'snPAnAroaron TBE nrncrnonns oF ELEc'raoLYrIC CELLS.

Application filed` July 12,

My invention; relates lto electrolytic cells and moreespecially to such cells in which the electrodes consist of intermeshed groups of parallel plates of sheet 'metalorthe like, immersed in a-,suitable electrolyte.

One object of the invention is to provide simple, inexpensive andV Adurable separators to prevent adjacent plates of opposite polarity from coming into contact. Another object is to provide such separators attached to the plate so that the individual plates may be conveniently handled without danger of the separators becoming displaced. Another ob`ject is to provide positive and negative plates which when assembled with their separators will all be identical in design but when intermeshed Willpbring the .separators of adjacent plates into staggered relation.

These and other objects as well as the in- .p

vention itself, will be more clearly understood by reference to the following description of one embodiment of the invention', reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is an elevation,-partly irl-section, of an electrolyticvcell embodying features o the invention.

Fig. 2 Vis a Vertical section on the line 2 of Figure 1, the container being omitted.

Fig. 3 isa horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2, and

Fig. 4.- is al section of aseparator and av part of the plate, to an enlarged scale, illustrating the method of assembly.

Fig. 1 shows an electrolytic cell which may be a counter electromotive force cell of the nickel-alkaline type. 1 represents the container, preferably of glass. having upstanding ribs 2 on thebottom for supporting the plates 3. which plates may be ofy sheet nickel or the like. Five such plates are shown (see Figs. 2 and 3), identical in design, each being of rectangular shape with an upstanding terminal lug 4 for making connection to the cell terminal 5. Theterminal lugs of three of the plates are bolted together to one cell terminal, while those ofthe other two plates are similarly bolted to the other cell terminal by means of through bolts 6 with terminal nuts 7. Spacing washers 8 are pron vided for properly spacing the plate lugs.

To prevent' adjacent plates of opposite polarity from coming into contact, insulating separators 9 are provided, each separator being in t-he form of'a ring or bead of glass or Lassembly j withoutv danger of the beads becoming .dis-

1,927. 1 Serial No. 205,103.

similar inert material, located in an opening l() in-the plateand'retained in position by a tongue, 11,` integral/with the plate vand extending across theopening and threading the hole in the ring or bead. This tongue is attached at one end to or is integral with onek edge of theopening but is free at the other end, permitting it to be bent outward asl shown in Fig.V 4, to vpermit the bead to be placed over it, whereupon the tongue is.

straightenedinto its normal position as in Fig. 2, the tongue being suflicientlyrigid to retain the bead whatever maybe the position of the plate. The plate with'the separator beads thus attached'may be subjected.V

to the ordinaryhandling'incident to factory and l subsequent l transportation laced.

The plate shown in full lines in Fig. 1, is provided with four separator beads, two 1ocated in vertical valignment under the plate lug and the other two in verticalfalignment to the rightofthe center line of the plate.

The next adjacent plate, being of opposite f polarity, is reversed'in posit-ion, so that while the'separatorlbeads are videntically located with respect to the plate itself, the Vtwo sets .of beads are in staggered relation, thus providing eight points of separation between the adjacent plates. f

After the plates are properly assembled in the container, as shownin Fig. 1, the electrolyte (not shown) will be added to the desired level7 covering the plates,

I claim: v

1. In combination, an electrode in the' form of a metallic sheet, a separator of annular form located inV an opening provided in the sheet with its axis lsubstantially in the plane of the sheet, and a tongue attached to the sheet and threading the opening in the separator.

2. In combinatioma sheet k'meta-l electrode y having a perforation, an annular` separator located 1n a perforation, and a tongue extendmg across the perforatlon and threading thel separator, said tongue attached at" one end to the sheet and, free at the other end and adapted toy be bent out of the plane of the sheet to receive the separator and to he bent back to retain the separator in the perforation. I 1

3. In combination two sheet electrodes each provided with annular,separators7 each loc separator mounted in an opening provided in the sheet, each opening having a tongue projecting from the sheet across the opening and threading the separator, the separators being so identically located in each sheet that when the sheets are in reversed confronting relation, t-lie separators are in staggered relation.

4. A metallic sheet electrode having an` opening of which one Wall is equipped with a tongue providing space between its side walls'and the confronting Walls of the opening and having an insulating body mounted on said tongue and arranged in said space and projecting beyond the faces of the plate, said structure being transportable as a unit.

5. A series of duplicate metallic sheet electrodes having lugs disposed alternately at opposite sides of the series and each having insulating bodies disposed some generally in line With the lug andothers beyond the median line of tlie plate, said bodies mounted on :tongues and in openings provided in the plate and extending beyond the plate faces, whereby the separators of adjacent plates are `disposed in staggered relation. Y

JOSEPH LESTER VVOODBRIDGrE. 

